Input devices transmit data for processing by their respective processing components. Such data may include sensitive information such as, for example, a user's biometric information or the user's personal and financial information. The processing component may provide selected services or information to the user based on the received data.
It is desirable for sensitive information to traverse from the input device to the processing component securely, unchanged and unseen by unauthorized people. Current mechanisms for securing data transmitted by an input device include placing the input device within the security boundary of the processing component. Because communication between the input component and the processing component occurs within the security boundary of the processing component, any data transmitted by the input device to the processing component may be assumed to remain secure.
A drawback to the above solution is the constraint that it places on the location of the input device. That is, with the above solution, the input device must generally be co-located in the same security device as the processing component, such as, for example, within the same hardware security module (HSM). Accordingly, a need exists for improved techniques for securing data transmitted by input devices to their respective processing components when such data traverses an insecure medium.